Sustainability Blog: Do it Now!

Have you integrated sustainability into the organization’s strategy? Do you have a culture characterized by innovation, engagement, responsibility and leadership? Sustainability is believed to be the greatest business opportunity of our time. Early adopters of sustainable development are changing the rules of the game in business, education and communities. Examples are scattered across this website and in our blogs.

Wandering the hundreds of aisles of golf booths at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, I sought to learn more about the sustainability of the golf world. Greg Norman gave a presentation about golf and Great White Shark Enterprises – his empire consisting of golf courses and communities, apparel, wine and other business interests. He spoke about a “commitment to excellence” and that having your name on the door isn’t enough. “It’s the people behind the doors…that really push things through.” In speaking with the golf legend later, I asked him about how...

Introduced yesterday, the new Ford Focus has a small bump in the car’s taillights that reduces turbulence just enough to increase gas mileage. Ford engineers refer to these minor tweaks as “one percenters” – details that increase fuel efficiency. The redesigned Focus is expected to get at least 40 mpg in highway driving.

Ford’s CEO, Alan Mulally launched a strategy when he took over the helm in 2007 to “introduce only the best-in-class cars and trucks.” Mulally’s view is that new technologies and fuel efficiency are “strategically important because...

On the same day I posted the blog on “Deforestation and Your Supply Chain”, Earthkeepers posted a statement from Jeffrey Swartz, Timberland’s CEO in an Update From the Amazon. The deforestation referred to by Greenpeace is caused by cattle ranchers who cut down the rain forest to raise livestock primarily for food. Less than 10% of the proceeds of the cow are for the leather sold as raw materials to suppliers who turn the hides into products such as footwear. Only 7% of the...